Wraith/Black Knife/GraveRipper/Unholy Night/Faster Than The Fucking Devil/Wise Blooed Records/4 Way Split Album

 

  This  is  a  review  of  a  4  way  split  album  between  U.S.A's  Wraith,  Black  Kniofe,  GraveRipper  and  Russia's  Unholy  Night  called  "Faster  Than  The  Fucking  Devil"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Wise  Blood  Records  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Wraith  who  return  with  their  mixture  of  black,  thrash,  speed  metal  and  punk.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  thrash  influenced  sound  while  the  solos  and  leads  also bring  in  elements  of  speed  metal.  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  music  also  capturing t he  raw  energy  of  punk  rock  at  times  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast b eats  can  also b e  heard.

  Throughout  their  side  of  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  the  music  also  making  an  80's  style  sound  more  modern,  a  small  amount  of  melody  can  also b e  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  religion,  war,  violence  and  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Wraith  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  thrash,  speed  metal  and  punk,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Seven  Serpents".

  Next  up  is  Black  Knife  a  band  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  thrash  metal  and  punk.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  punk  influenced  sound  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  thrash  metal  elements  and  blast  beats.

  A  lot  of t he  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  80's  but  mixed  with  a  more  modern  day  aggression  along  with  all  of  the  songs  sticking  to  either  a  fast  or  mid  tempo  direction  and  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  can  be  heard  on  the  closing  song.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  alcohol,  horror,  violence  and  Satanism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Black  Knife  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  thrash,  speed  metal  and  punk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Satanic  Commander".

  Next  up  is  GraveRipper  who  return  with  their  mixture  of  black,  thrash  and  speed  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  thrash  metal  influenced  sound  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  music  also  showing  some  touches  of  the  first  wave  style  at  times.

  Elements  of  speed  metal  can  also  be  heard  throughout  their  side  of  the  split  along  with  the  music  also  making  an  80's  style  sound  more  modern  and  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  als  remaining  very  true  to  an  old  school  style  when  they  are  utilized.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  destiny  and  darkness.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  GraveRipper  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  thrash  and  speed  metal,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Night  Frozen  Black".

  Closing  the  split  is  Unholy  Night  a  band  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  and  speed  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  speed  metal  influenced  style  while  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  80's  style.  Vocals  are mostly  black  metal  screams  in  the  first  wave  direction  along  with  the  songs  also  giving  an  old  school  sound  a  more  modern  touch  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  also  going  for  more  of  a  retro  direction,  blast  beats  can  also b e  heard  in  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while t he  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Unholy  Night  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  and  speed  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Ancient  Rites".

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  black,  thrash,  speed  metal  and  punk.  8  out  of  10.

  WRAITH on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wraiththrash

BLACK KNIFE on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blackknifeband
GRAVERIPPER on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/graveripperofficial

UNHOLY NIGHT on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Unholy-Night-104198980976653/     

           

Wraith/Undo The Chains/Redefining Darkness Records/2021 CD Review

 

  Wraith  are  a  band  from  Indiana  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  thrash,  speed  metal  and  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2021  album  "Undo  The  Chains"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Redefining  Darkness  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  apocalyptic  intro  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  while  melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  riffing.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  thrash  and  speed  metal  elements.

  Vocals  are  mostly  blackened  metal  screams  while  the  music  also  captures  the  raw  energy  of  the  first  wave  era  and  punk  rock.  Most  of  the  songs  are  heavily  rooted  in  the  80's  but  mixed  in  with  a  more  modern  day  aggression  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  remaining  very  true  to  an  old  school  style.

  Blast  beats  are  also  added  into  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  along  with  the  tracks  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  some  songs  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  back  up  shouts  and  the  whole  album  also  always  sticks  to  a  heavier  direction.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  religion,  war,  violence  and  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Wraith  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  thrash,  speed  metal  and  punk,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dominator"  "Cloaked  In  Black  "Gift  Of  Death"  and  "Terminate".  8  out  of  10.

PREORDER Vinyl / CD   

Wraith Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?

 We have been gearing up for the release. When you put music out yourself you are responsible for the whole process so that has been keeping us plenty busy! In addition, we have a couple shows lined up in August. One is with a band called Solicitor and the other is with BAT.



2.You have a new album coming out in August, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

 I think it is the next step in the evolution of Wraith. Just like the step between the S/T release and Heed.




3.You refer to your music as being 'NWI Blackened Thrash Metal, can you tell us a little bit more about this term?

 Well, NWI refers to the area in which we are from (Northwest Indiana). The Blackened Thrash Metal part I think is pretty self-explanatory if you listen to the music! We all like the no frills, straight to the point, evil sounding thrash metal.



4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you have explored with the new album?

 On this record I talk a lot about religion, war, death, life, and the all the evil you can handle.



5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Wraith'?

 Wraith is another word for a reaper, ghost or evil spirit. I thought it had a nice ring to it so it stuck!



6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?

 I feel like we always kind of take a chance with our artwork. For this record we all saw that cover and felt like it was a perfect representation of the music we were writing. It was inspired by an illustration used for a movie poster for the film Drag Me to Hell.



7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

 One show that comes to mind right away was at a place called the Blood Bowl in Minneapolis. It was an indoor skatepark that was ran by a group of local dudes. They were all super cool, and the show/party kicked ass. We also played a Halloween show last year that was absolutely nuts. Our sets are usually short, but they pack a massive punch. Because the songs are on the shorter side we tend to power through once we start.



8.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?

 No tour is planned at the moment, but that is definitely something we are looking forward to doing. We will be playing two shows at the Cobra Lounge in Chicago on the 6th and 16th of August.



9.On the album you also done a Misfits cover, what was the decision behind doing your own version of one of their songs?

 We are all big Misfits fans, and it is always cool to have the opportunity to put your own spin on one of your favorite songs. We did the same thing with a Motorhead song for our first release.



10.The new album is going to be self-released, are you open to working with another label again in the future?

Yeah definitely! In this instance, we reached out to a few labels, but since we weren’t getting much in terms of a response, we decided that we would just do it ourselves so we could get it out there. We are hoping that the right person finds it!



11.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black and thrash metal?

 People seem to really like it! I hope that we can continue to grow, and keep making the music we love. To us, the fans are the most important thing. All of us are fans of music in a huge way so we know what it’s like.



12.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

 Hard to say right now since we haven’t started writing any music. We have been really focused on getting Absolute Power finished up. I think we have a couple ideas floating around though…



13.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

 Well, I think a lot of the classics influence us. We listen to a lot of 80’s metal and punk rock, but there are a lot of really good new bands too! Midnight, Toxic Holocaust, Power Trip, BAT just to name a few.



14.What are some of your nonmusical interests?

 I think all of us are into a variety of things. Whether its video games, movies, sports, skateboarding, motorcycles, cars, spending time with friends/family we always find a way to occupy our time.



15.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

 We just want to thank you and anyone else that takes the time to support us! We hope everyone enjoys Absolute Power, and we are stoked to get back to work on the next one.



www.wraith219.bandcamp.com

www.facebook.com/wraiththrash

Wraith/Absolute Power/2019 CD Review

  Wraith  are  a  band  from  Indiana  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  thrash,  speed  metal  and  punk and  this  is  a  review  of their  self  released  2019  album "Absolute  Power"  which  will  be  released  in  August.

  A  speed  metal  influenced  sound  starts off  the  album  along  with  some  black  metal  screams  a  few  seconds  later.  At  times  the  music  captures  the  raw  energy  of  punk  rock  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  old  school  style  and  the  music  also  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of  thrash  metal  elements.

  Most  of  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  80's  without  sounding  outdated  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  all  of  the  music  sticks  to  a  heavier  direction  as  well  as  one  track  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  aprts  and  they  close  the  album  with  a  cover  of  Misfits's  "Death  Comes  Ripping".

  Wraith plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  thrash,  speed  metal  and  punk  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  satanism,  anti  religion,  war,  violence  and  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Warith  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  thrash  ,  speed  metal  and  punk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Devil's  Hour"  "The  Curse"  ""At  the  Stake"  and  "Absolute  Power".  8  out  of  10.

www.wraith219.bandcamp.com

www.facebook.com/wraiththrash

www.instagram.com/wraiththrash

www.twitter.com/wraiththrash